Key leaders of administration-backed Lakas-Kampi-CMD rejected Wednesday proposals for the conduct of party loyalty check in the wake of heightened suspicions of massive shift of allegiance among its members before the deadline of filing of candidacy in November.

This developed as former President Fidel V. Ramos cited Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, who is expected to represent the party in next year’s presidential derby, as a “very, very competent leader” belonging to the ruling party.

Speaker Prospero Nograles said the decision to check on the faithfulness of party officials and members should be left to Teodoro.

Nograles, who is party vice chairman, also appeared to have entertained second thoughts about his previous suggestion for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo who had reportedly aired his preference for Liberal Part Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as his presidential bet, instead of administration-backed Teodoro, a Cabinet colleague.

Nograles said Romulo should be left alone in making his choice, stressing that the Cabinet official is a “very, very decent and upright man.”

“Let us respect the man. Whatever it is he decides is fine to me. I truly respect him,” Nograles told reporters in a text message.

Earlier, the House leader said delicadeza (good taste) dictates that Cabinet officials who are unwilling to support the President’s choice for president should resign.

Aside from Romulo, Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III, a member of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD national executive committee, was also reported to have aired preference for Aquino.

The declaration made by Romulo and Bello triggered suggestions for a loyalty check among party members.

Like Nograles, House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor, also a member of the Lakas-Kampi NEC, objected to the proposed loyalty check.

“Let’s forget about loyalty check,” Defensor said. “We are not soldiers fighting a civil war. We are engaged in politics and democracy.”

The Iloilo lawmaker explained that in politics, everybody has the right to move out or join a political group. On the other hand, Nograles said Teodoro, being the preferred party standard bearer for 2010, should be given the authority to determine what to do about misguided loyalties.

“He is very intelligent and has all the political experience needed to lead the party. It’;s really his call and its up to him to check everyone out if he wants to,” Nograles said.

Nograles added: “I am sure his intelligence network will feed him data correctly.”

Meanwhile, Teodoro’s presidential candidacy has started to gain momentum as he picked up support from 23 municipal mayors and three city mayors from Laguna, on a day former President Fidel Ramos cited his competence to seek the presidency.

Likewise Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that except for Romulo, who has expressed preference for Aquino, the rest of the Cabinet members are solidly behind the presidential bid of Teodoro.

Ermita, in news conference in the Palace, disclosed that there are actually many members of various political parties who will join the administration coalition “in due time,” without revealing their names.

“I don’t believe there are traitors in the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet are decent,” Ermita said.
And amid clamors for him to resign, Romulo stressed late Tuesday night that he has no intentions of siding with the opposition and that he will stand by President Arroyo “until the end of her term and beyond.”

“I have to make it very clear that such comments do not in any way diminish my service and support for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Neither does it mean that I am moving to the opposition,” Romulo said in a statement.

“I am standing by the President until the end of her term and beyond,” he added.

With all the brouhaha over Romulo’s statement as well as the earlier resignation of Presidential Anti-Graft Commission Commissioner Jaime Jacob, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay claimed that all is not well within the Cabinet of President Arroyo.

Binay, who is concurrently the president of the United Opposition (UNO), also said that a continuous exodus of administration officials is expected to unfold in the weeks leading to the November 30 deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2010 national election.(With reports from Genalyn Kabiling, Madel S. Sabater, and Kris Bayos)